Bottle-stopper.



No. 835,783. PATENTED dv. 13, 1906. H. A. DAVIS & T. R. STETSON.

BOTTLE STOPPER. APPLICATION FILED-NOV. 28.1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE A. DAVIS AND THOMAS R. STETSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov, 13, 1906.

Application filed November 28,1905. Serial No. 289.538.

and THOMAS RICE SrETsoN, citizens of the United States, residing at NewYork, in the State of New York, have invented a new and usefulBottle-Stopper, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in bottle-stoppers of the typeshown in Letters Patent No. 747,498, issued December 2-2, 1903, to theabove-named Thomas Rice Stetson. Its object is to provide an economicaland efiicient device to prevent the refilling of bottles, and morespecifically to procure a more ample flow of liquids out of the bottlewhen so stopped.

The bottle-stopper described in said Letters Patent operatessatisfactorily in preventing the refilling of the bottle and permits abottle full. of liquid to be emptied gradually; but the flow out of suchbottle has been found to be so slow as to be inconvenient for frequentuse and to render the stopper of comparatively small commercial value.It is well known that the same difficulty exists in most if not all ofthe bottle-stoppers heretofore invented which are based on the plan ofcausing the liquid to flow out through a more or less devious orobstructed passage. It is impossible in such inventions to intro duceair rapidly enough through these same passages to replace the outgoingliquid, and the consequence is that the bottle chokes completely orgives only a feeble or intermittent flow. Our invention relates to thisdifficulty of the flow and overcomes it by providing a suitable passagefor the intake of the air. In practice it has been found to increase thefiow to substantially the full ca pacity of an ordinary bottle with aneck of the diameter of the opening 7 of our nozzle.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

in which like reference-numerals refer to likeparts of the device,Figure 1 is a sectional view of the stopper in place in the normalposition of the bottle. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the stopper lookingdownward on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of theupper weight. Fig. 4 is a view, partly profile partly sectional, of theupper section 6 of the nozzle.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the stopper is shown inserted intoa bottle 5, containing liquid. It consists of an upper cylindricalsection.6 slightly smaller in diameter than the inside diameter of theneck of the bottle. This section is provided with the springs 2-2,consisting of strips of metal or other suitable resilient substanceresting in the groove 21 and adapted to engage with the recess 20 in theneck of the bottle and hold the cylinder 6 firmly in place. The cylinder6 contains an elongated opening 7 leading downward into an enlargedchamber 18. Below it is the lower section 8 of the stopper, consistingof a collar secured rigidly to the neck of the bottle by cement or othersuitable substance or blown or pressed out from the neck itself as anintegral part of the bottle. The collar 8 continues the enlarged chamberand contains an opening 9, leading downward therefrom into the bottle.Within the enlarged chamber 18 is a lower valve 10, adapted to close thelower opening 9, and an upper weight 13, adapted to close the upperopening 7, except so far as the grooves 15 leave a passage-way forliquids.

The upper weight is made of any suitable substance, as glass, having aspecific gravity greater than that of the liquid with which the bottleis intended to be filled. Its upper art is conical and is adapted to fitclosely w en the bottle is inverted against the upper sides 16 of theenlarged chamber 18, which thus form a seat for the weight 13 and areinclined at a moderate angle, preferably not exceeding fifty degrees.This conical portion of the weight 13 carries passages, preferably inthe form of grooves or channels 15, at suitable intervals about itsouter surface, through which the liquid may fiow when the bottle isinverted and the weight rests in the seat 1 6. The lower part of theweight is an inverted truncated cone 14, with sides inclined atsubstantially the same angle as the upper portion 12 of the sides of thelower section of the chamber 18 and with a base smaller in diameter thanthe top of the lower valve 10. The weight 13 is somewhat smaller indiameter than the chamber 18, so as to allow an upward and downwardplay, but less than the altitude of the lower valve-seat.

The lower valve 10 is made of any suitable substance, as cork, having aspecific gravity less than that of the liquid with which the bottle isintended to be filled. It consists of an inverted truncated cone adaptedto fit closely direction of the opening 7 toward the mouth IIO of thebottle removes such valve from contact with its valve-seat l1, and thiscreates a passage for the flow of liquids out of the bottle, but suchmovement can be no greater than the upward and downward play of theweight 13, which is less than the altitude of the lower valve-seat l1,and, therefore never permits the lower valve 10 wholly to escape fromthe limits of the valve-seat 11. The groove 23 cut in the side 12 isadapted to check any wire or other instrument introduced into thestopper from without.

The operation of the device is as follows: After the collar 8 has beensecured in its proper place within the neck of the bottle the bottle isfilled, the valve 10 is inserted in its valve-seat, the weight 13 set inplace above the valve, and the cylinder 6 is then lnserted into the neckof the bottle and pushed downward until the springs 22 engage with therecess 20 and hold the cylinder in place. purpose When the bottle isinverted for the of being emptied, the upper weight 13 falls down intoits seat 16. The lower valve is forced out of its valve-seat 11 by theweight of the liquid in the bottle and falls down against the base ofthe weight 13, thus releasing the liquid, which flows around the sidesof the valve 10, through the grooves 15 of the weight 13, into theopening '7, and out of the bottle. As the liquid flows out air entersthrough the opening 19 between the cylinder 6 and the neck of thebottle, thus greatly facilitating the escape of the liquid. When thebottle is returned to its normal position, the weight and valve dropdown, the weight 13 pushing the valve 10 back snugly into its valve-seat11. The shape of the weight, valve, and sides of the chamber 18 is suchthat the weight is kept pressed against the valve, thereby closing it,except when the bottle is inverted to the angle of pouring, at whichangle the valve is adapted to be closed by the buoyant action of anyliquid introduced from without through the outer opening of the nozzle,as is more fully set forth in the specification of Letters Patent N o. 747,498.

The bottle cannot be refilled by immersion for the reason just stated,nor can it be made fillable by the introduction of a wire or otherinstrument on account of the conical shape of the weight 13, which willcause such instrument to be deflected to the side 12 of the chamber 18and to engage in the groove 23 without harm to any part of themechanism. The operation of the bottle-stopper invented by us 1s thesame in these respects as that described in said Letters Patent No.747,498. The opening 19 is too narrow to permit the introduction of anytool by which the mechanism of the stopper could be affected.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a bottle-stopper, the combination of a nozzle in two sections, theouter section being slightly smaller in diameter than the inside of theneck of the bottle, said nozzle containing an elongated opening with anenlarged central chamber, an upper conical weight of greater specificgravity than the liquid with which the bottle is to be filled, a lowervalve of less specific gravity than such liquid, the upper sides of saldenlarged chamber forming a seat for said upper weight, and the lowersides thereof forming a seat for said lower valve, and said sides beinginclined at such angles respectively that the weight is kept pressedagainst the valve, thereby closing it, except when the bottle isinverted to the angle of pouring, at which angle the valve is adapted tobe closed by the buoyant action of any liquid introduced from withoutthrough the outer opening of the nozzle, with means for securing saidouter section of the nozzle into the neck of the bottle.

2. A bottle-stopper consisting of a nozzle 6, 8, with an upper opening7, a lower opening 9, and an enlarged chamber 18 containing the upperweight-seat l6 and the lower valve seat 11 the upper section 6 of saidnozzle be ing adapted to fit loosely into a bottle-neck; the upperconical, non-floatable weight 13, with passages 15 for the flow ofliquids; the lower floatable valve 10 and the springs 22 ada ted toengage a recess, as 20, in a bottleneck substantially as shown anddescribed.

Signed at New York city this 27th day of November, 1905.

HORACE A. DAVIS. THOMAS R. STETSON. In presence of- ARTHUR DU Bors,LOUISE SMITH.

